**FINISHED** X/JT-47 "Valon" NASA

[TheChronicOne]

Pretty much wrapped up the paint scheme. I have to go back in and do touch-up and detail painting but it won't be long now until I'm into transfers. It's also time to get this thing a proper name so I'll be diving into NASA jet naming conventions and see what I can come up with.

[Tophe]

Wonderful!
I am almost able now to correct my profile drawing of it, but probably I will wait the final model anyway, hoping another profile photograph of it

[Flyer]

Looking good, I like the underside pic especially, those blues work well together.

[zenrat]

Don't know about NASA but Starfleet named their smaller craft after astronomers (ST:TOS) and rivers (ST:DS9).

[TheChronicOne]

Wonderful!
I am almost able now to correct my profile drawing of it, but probably I will wait the final model anyway, hoping another profile photograph of it

Cool and thanks!  I agree, definitely need to wait until the nose and tail pieces are on. That should help!

[TheChronicOne]

"Gemini" has a nice ring to it. But wait... I think that was used on a rocket...   I guess now is a good time to start looking into this.


EDIT: BAH.. to hell with it.    NASA just left the naming of their jets to whomever made them so there's no real guideline to follow so I suppose it's all up to me. So what the hell is going on here anyway?!  Components from General Dynamics and Northrop. Hmmmmmmm...... the plane itself can be a trainer and also an experimental plane... soooooo......    let's see here.....   JXT(XJT?)-47 Valon for Joint Experimental Trainer, the product of a collaborative effort between Northrop and GD. Blah blah blah. Sounds good to me! 

Thoughts?  Pretty flimsy back story but it seems to work I guess. 

[TheChronicOne]

Getting closer..... I'm working on the fuel tanks now. I also did some fixing on the paint job. It's amazing all the "issues" that pop up during final check before glossing ahead of decals.

[Tophe]

Getting closer..... I'm working on

You teaser... I stop breathing, waiting for the imminent picture pf yours (or death of mine?) 

[NARSES2]

It's amazing all the "issues" that pop up during final check before glossing ahead of decals.

That's why I have a check sheet so I can tick them off once completed and as they are 90% the same regardless of type I'm thinking of doing a Word doc and simply printing off a load.

[TheChronicOne]

Some of this stuff was unplanned. Like last night.... I went to glue on the engine nozzle and turns out some paint BEHIND it was making an issue so I had to stop and break out the white paint again instead of gluing the thingy on.  Here's what I did after considering your advice on the note taking. About a week ago I installed a small white board right here at the desk to take my notes on. I drilled a hole right through it and hung it on a nail so I can take it off and hold it like a clipboard to write on then hang it back up. Pretty handy I must say.   

I'd like to get this thing into gloss today....  We'll see if it actually happens or not.

EDIT: Picture of whiteboard.



Gluing a little on the JXT-47 Valon (that reminds me, I need to change the name in the title) and while that dries I need to paint the fuel tanks. I might do something "different" with the drop tanks and they can wait to be glue on at the end and I may wind up not using them at all but the little tips tanks need to be on before I gloss so that's the order of the day for right now and I hope to get this thing glossed this evening and potentially be finished by tomorrow evening. Not counting on it, though... motivation comes and goes.

[TheChronicOne]

It's all together now after finishing the touch-up and detail painting. I messed some of it up prior to gloss (my acrylics didn't like the white rattle can paint I used) but I can fix that in the next phase.

So... nose cone is finally on. Tail cone, too, come to think of it.    --Otherwise known as the engine exhaust nozzle. At this point I got a bit excited and glossed the thing before I was finished assembling it; I forgot the tip tanks. They weren't even painted yet, let alone attached.    I was watching movies and a ton of other things... and have ADD, so....   well... whatever. I managed to go ahead and paint then gloss them separately then glued them on after the fact with gel CA. Worked out just fine.





Next up: transfers! I have the F-104 sheet so the markings will be a wee bit date but I bet they look grand on here. I also have some bits and pieces from other stuff and may even dive into the stash to find some other "stellar" things that might work on this.... without going overboard, of course.

[zenrat]

That's going to look awesome with transfers on.

[Tophe]

Nice!
(during several minutes there were no picture showing, but they are here now and... wow!)

[PR19_Kit]

The underside looks very swish, oh yes. 

[chrisonord]

Looking forward to seeing this when it is finished Brad, I have been dropping in and having a look every now and again as it looks excellent in form. A fighter version would look great too.
Chris